Endings, No Beginnings
by Azalea Rose Turner
Summary: Oh, there were great heroes in history. Theseus, Atalanta, Hercules. But none ever matched the son of Poseidon, and none ever would. There was no moving on from him, not the great Percy Jackson.
1. Alone

**Hey everyone! I was in the mood to write something depressing, and here's the result. Check out my profile for other fanfics on Percy Jackson!**

 **(This is a _fanfiction_ site for a reason, right? There's no point in a disclaimer... I wonder why I do it now.)**

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Annabeth yelled a war cry as she charged the last few monsters. She could see Percy battling the other ones out of the corner of her eye, but Annabeth didn't dare look.

As the monsters vaporized, Annabeth dusted her hands off on her jeans against the golden dust. Percy turned to her, his expression on of grim victory as he trudged towards her.

Annabeth, panting hard, managed a weak, "Well, that wasn't as bad as I expected."

She expected Percy to laugh, but instead, his eyes grew wide with horror.

Annabeth realized he was looking at something _behind_ her.

Percy's cry of, "Annabeth, look out!" was swallowed in the heat of the situation.

It was a drakon.

It was large, and dappled green and yellow. It was mesmerizingly beautiful, with frills around its neck, and Annabeth was reminded of a warm summer's day.

And also reminded of something _much less pleasant._

Annabeth's breathing was labored as she stared at the monster that was just all-too-familiar. Visions flashed across her eyes, a charred ground, horrors in the darkness, a Titan glowing silver and a boy's broken body —

Annabeth began screaming.

And screaming.

And screaming…

Something touched against her lips, and Annabeth was yanked back to the present. Percy had kissed her. Percy was okay. Percy was alive —

That's when Percy fell to the ground, stabbing with Riptide wildly. The drakon was hit, amazingly, and it crumbled into dust.

But Annabeth wasn't focused on that.

"Percy? Percy?!" she asked frantically, fumbling against his neck for a pulse. It fluttered weakly against her fingertips.

No. He was going to be okay. He was going to be okay.

"Annabeth…" Percy stared up at her, those beautiful sea green eyes, slowly losing color. She nodded. "Percy, I'm here. You're going to be fine," she replied, simultaneously rummaging desperately in her bag for ambrosia and trying to staunch the bleeding where the drakon stabbed him.

The corners of Percy's lips tugged into a smile, but it was wistful. "Annabeth, I'm _not_ going to be fine."

She glared at him to hide the tide of horrible, horrible _fear_ churning in her gut. "Of course you're going to be f - fine." Her voice broke and she hiccuped. "Eat this." She thrust the ambrosia at him.

Percy's vibrant eyes were starting to lose their color, fading away, fading, fading. He smiled once more, melancholy, and shook his head.

She stared at him. "What?"

"No, Annabeth… you know you can't save me."

"Percy, _please_!" The tears finally began sliding down her cheeks.

Percy looked at her, eyes brightening only in the slightest as he looked at the one he loved. "Don't cry," he whispered hoarsely, wiping her tears and cupping her face. If he was to leave this world, he wanted to leave with Annabeth the last thing he saw. "I love you, Wise Girl."

Annabeth choked on her sob. "I — I love you too. And it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay!"

He didn't say anything at first, just smiled sadly, tracing her face with his fingers.

Annabeth gripped his hand desperately. "Percy, don't leave me, please don't!" Her voice was getting thicker, layered with grief.

"I won't," he croaked, "I will never leave you."

Annabeth let out a sob, the tears falling faster than ever.

Percy's eyes fluttered once. His pulse was getting threadier, and Percy licked his dry lips. "Annabeth —" he choked, blood clogging up his lungs. "Promise me — you've got to be happy." Percy's vision was frayed at the edges, but staring into Annabeth's beautiful eyes, dripping quiksilver, her felt that he could stay there forever.

But he was drowning.

And much, _much_ too fast.

"Annabeth," he breathed.

And he tumbled into the void.

Annabeth felt the exact moment. She felt the moment when his heart stuttered and then stopped altogether under her palm, felt when the life drained out of his eyes, leaving them only glassy marbles fixed on her.

 _No_.

No!

"N - no," Annabeth hiccuped, "You're fine. We're fine. We're going to finish high school, and then we'll go to college in New Rome, just like you've always wanted. You can study marine biology, or surfing, or whatever you want to do — as long as you stay with me. And then we'll graduate and you'll propose and we'll buy a house by the beach, so we can listen to the waves all night long. I'll tell you I love you every night before bed. We'll have kids, and grandkids, and…" Annabeth rambled, her voice trailing away.

When he didn't answer, the truth finally set in.

Percy was gone.

"No, no, no!" she wailed. " _NO!_ " She clutched his hands so tightly they should have been turning purple, but he had lost too much blood. "You promised!" she wept. "You promised you would never leave me, and you did, you Seaweed Brain!" Droplets wetted her tattered shirt, her pants, but Annabeth didn't give any notice. She faced the sky, tightening her grip on her lost lover. "Please mother, bring him back!"

No reply.

"No!" Annabeth's stomach convulsed. "Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, _anyone!"_

But no one gave any notice to the fallen demigod.

" _No… no…"_ Annabeth curled up on the ground against Percy's limp body, crying against his chest as she did so many times before. But this time, there was no warmth, no comfort, no soothing, steady beat.

There was just — nothing.

 _Nothing._

This _nothingness_ had replaced him.

"No…" Annabeth sobbed weakly against his chest, wishing she never had to move.

Percy was gone.

And she was alone.

 _Alone._

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. He's Gone

**Yup, so this is just a continuation. Leave a review! :)**

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"Whoa," Piper said, staring at the sketch Hazel had drawn of Nico. "Oh my god, this is so… on point."

Nico had happened to be walking past, and he peered over his sister's shoulder and scowled. "I do _not_ look like that."

Hazel rolled her eyes at her brother as Piper laughed. "What did I miss this time?"

Nico frowned. "My nose _isn't_ that big. And my hair isn't _that_ long. And I do _not_ have such huge circles under my eyes!"

Will smiled serenely. "I don't know, Nico, that looks just like you."

Nico turned to glower at his boyfriend. "Hey, that's not —"

"Can I have it?" Will blurted over Nico.

Hazel looked at Will, her eyes wide. " _You_ want my drawing of _Nico_?"

Will bit his lip, as if realizing what he just said. "Um…"

"OH MY GODS!" Piper shrieked. "Oh my freaking gods!"

Jason appeared at Piper's side with Frank and Leo, looking chagrined. "Pipes, are you alright?"

" _No!_ " Piper yelped, causing Jason to glance at her worriedly. " _Will wants a picture of Nico_!"

Nico's pale cheeks began to turn red.

Jason stared at Piper, trying to take it in, and then — "SOLANGELO FOR LIFE!"

Leo snickered. "Hey, Lover Boy."

Nico facepalmed. "Haze, please don't give —"

"Okay!" Hazel said happily, ripping the page out of her sketchbook and handing it to Will. "There you go!"

Frank stifled a laugh.

Suddenly Nico exploded, "NO!"

Hazel, startled, began pulling her hand back. "Um, if it bothers you that much, then I don't have to give —"

"No!" Nico said again. "Shut up!"

That's when the rest of The Seven realized he was breathing hard, a thin glossy film of tears over his eyes.

Will's eyes widened. "Nico, I'm really sorry if —"

" _No_!" The word ripped through them, it was coated in agony and anguish and pain. "No, no… it can't be true…"

He was really scaring them. Jason said gently, "Nico, are you alright?"

He didn't reply, only stared at them brokenly. "I — I don't —"

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Will asked soothingly.

"Is he okay?"

"Nico's crying?! Where's a megaphone when I need it?"

" _Leo_!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

"What happened?!"

"Oh my gods, do some —"

"N - no…" Nico was crying now, trembling as the tears slid down his cheeks. His damp eyes gazed distantly into the hills, seeing something different altogether.

Abruptly Hazel staggered as if she'd been shot. Frank caught her. "Hazel!"

"Oh my gods," Hazel whispered, her voice quivering. "Oh my gods."

Tears began dripping down her face as well.

It was Piper who made the connection first. She looked back and forth between Hazel and Nico, Hazel and Nico, back and forth —

"Oh," Piper said in a small voice, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Oh no."

"Piper!" Jason cried, overcome in a frenzy of desperation as he shook her. "Not you too! What —"

Piper shoved his hand away. "It's not me!" she snapped angrily. "Children of Hades. Someone — someone —"

Silence.

But they all understood.

"Nico?" Will asked, fear present in his voice. "Who?"

The Child of the Underworld looked up from his hands, face blotchy with red and white. "It's him," he whispered, and Hazel turned to sob into Frank's shirt.

They waited.

"P - Percy Jackson…"

Everyone froze.

"That's — that's impossible," Frank breathed. Leo, having faced death before, merely turned away, solemn for once. Jason stared blankly at Nico and Hazel as if waiting for them to jump up and say, 'Surprise! Gotcha!' But no such thing happened.

Piper clutched Jason's arm, leaving red fingermarks. "Percy?" she said, stumbling over her lost friend's name once.

"Percy," Nico confirmed shakily.

The misery enveloped them all, shrouding them like thick white mist in an early winter's morning.

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 **Thanks for reading!**


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